-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As an American , I am appalled by Dick Cheney and his relentless , pathetic and ultimately doomed effort to revise the history of his failures .

But as a Democrat , I am thrilled that an incompetent , dishonest and reviled figure is hell-bent on making himself the face of the Republican Party , hogging the spotlight from rising stars like Rand Paul , Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio -- and eclipsing more honorable Republicans from the Bush era , like Colin Powell .

Cheney 's endless media appearances , including this remarkable interview with CNN 's Jake Tapper , reveal a nearly sociopathic refusal to admit any error , express any remorse , apologize for any mistake .

And so let us review the Cheney record : No vice president has done more damage to our country , not even Vice President Aaron Burr , who shot and killed Alexander Hamilton 210 years ago .

In the first months of the Bush-Cheney administration , Cheney was ordered to convene a task force on terrorism . Instead , he ignored the problem , the Cheney terror task force never met , and the warnings about an impending terrorist attack were ignored .

Later , instead of apologizing , Cheney cravenly blamed the White House counterterrorism czar -LRB- PDF -RRB- , Dick Clarke , who had tried to warn anyone who would listen that an attack was coming .

`` Richard Clarke was the head of the counterterrorism program in the run up to 9/11 , '' Cheney said . `` He obviously missed it . '' Blaming the guy who did his job when you 're the one who did n't do yours .

From there , it was off to the races , as Cheney did and said anything to drag America into a war with Iraq . The good folks at Vox have compiled a damning indictment of Cheney 's deep dishonesty about Iraq . In the interest of brevity , let me focus on a few lowlights :

He said the lead 9/11 hijacker `` did go to Prague , and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service ... several months before the attack . '' Wrong , according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report .

He said Saddam had `` an established relationship with al Qaeda . '' Wrong -LRB- PDF -RRB- .

Cheney claimed there was `` irrefutable evidence '' Saddam had reconstituted his nuclear program . Wrong .

He said Saddam `` had an established relationship with al Qaeda , providing training to al Qaeda members in areas of poisons , gases and conventional bombs . '' Wrong -LRB- PDF -RRB- .

He said there was `` overwhelming '' evidence of ties between al Qaeda and Iraq . Wrong .

He said that we 'd be `` greeted as liberators '' and that the insurgency was in its `` last throes '' nine years ago . Wrong and wrong .

And that 's just on Iraq . Need I mention that , as CEO of Halliburton , Cheney opposed President Clinton 's sanctions on the terrorist regime in Iran , calling the Clinton administration `` sanctions-happy '' ? And he breezily defended doing business with the terrorists in Tehran -- through an overseas-based subsidiary -- explaining that `` the good Lord did n't see fit to always put oil and gas resources where there are democratic governments . ''

Need I mention he told Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill that `` deficits do n't matter '' ?

One can debate whether Cheney 's misstatements were the result of willful mendacity or incompetence . I believe the former . But at a deeper level , it does not matter . Regardless of whether Cheney is a liar or a fool , thousands of heroic American troops are dead . Tens of thousands are injured . Iraq is a disaster -- and will be for years to come . And America is weaker and poorer because of Cheney .

I know that powerful people do n't like admitting error . But Hillary Clinton did so in her new book , candidly admitting that in voting for the Bush-Cheney war in Iraq , `` I got it wrong . Plain and simple . ''

Cheney , however , has no room for such candid introspection . When he turned 70 , he was asked his greatest regret . He did not mention the death and devastation he brought to Iraq or that he and others ignored the terror threat before 9/11 . He did n't mention his votes in Congress against banning plastic guns or opposing the release of Nelson Mandela .

He said , `` My misspent youth . '' Seriously . A three-word oblique reference to a couple of drunken driving incidents a half century ago are the biggest regrets of this man 's life . Other than that , Cheney sees his life as a flawless , virtuous existence .

Were it not for the tragedies of 9/11 and Iraq , perhaps the thing Cheney would be remembered for was that he was the second vice president to shoot a man , albeit Cheney 's was in a hunting accident and Harry Whittington , thank God , survived .

Still , as a longtime quail hunter , I have no doubt Cheney was in the wrong . Every hunter is responsible for knowing where his buddies are . And Cheney violated a cardinal rule : He was drinking before he picked up the gun . -LRB- He claims to have had only one beer , but even one is too many when you 're hunting . -RRB-

But here 's the thing : Even after Cheney shot him in the face , there 's no indication he ever apologized to Harry Whittington . I suppose being a sociopath means never having to say you 're sorry .

Correction : An earlier version of this article incorrectly indicated an affiliation between the Washington Post and the independent news website Vox .

@highlight

Paul Begala says he is appalled by Dick Cheney and his relentless effort to revise history

@highlight

Begala : Cheney wo n't admit any error , misgiving or remorse or apologize for any mistake

@highlight

Begala : Cheney misled , lied and did anything to drag America into a war with Iraq

@highlight

He says whether Cheney is a liar or fool ; thousands of troops are dead ; Iraq is a disaster